White Rice vs Brown Rice

The refining question, settled with numbers.

Brown Rice takes it, 40 to 21. A 19-point gap. White rice with its nutrients left on. The fiber gap is the whole story. White Rice’s case: Inoffensive energy. Enrichment puts back a fraction of what milling removed.

Tale of the tape

Nutrient	White Rice per 100g	Brown Rice per 100g
Calories	130	123 ●
Protein	2.7g	2.7g
Total Fat	0.2g ●	1g
Saturated Fat	0.1g ●	0.2g
Dietary Fiber	0.4g	1.6g ●
Sodium	1mg ●	4mg
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg
Potassium	35mg	79mg ●

Red dot marks the winner of each row. Column bases differ because chain labels are per serving — the per-100-calorie comparisons below put them on equal footing.

Where White Rice wins

White Rice has less sodium per 100 calories (Brown Rice has more).
White Rice has less saturated fat per 100 calories (Brown Rice has more).

Where Brown Rice wins

Brown Rice has 4.2x the fiber of White Rice per 100 calories.

Questions

Is White Rice healthier than Brown Rice?

By our scoring, Brown Rice grades higher (40 vs 21). The full nutrient comparison is in the tale of the tape above.

Which has more protein, White Rice or Brown Rice?

White Rice: 2.1g per 100 calories. Brown Rice: 2.2g per 100 calories.

How many calories are in White Rice vs Brown Rice?

White Rice: 13 calories per 100g. Brown Rice: 123 calories per 100g.

A note before you eat your screen: grades are computed from published nutrition data with a transparent formula. They are a starting point for thinking about food, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about your diet.